Bob, I noticed that too. And a lot of the melting happened AFTER immigration. All four of my grandparents traced their lines back to the earliest European immigrants in North America. As an aunt says, "None of them were on the Mayflower, but they were all sailing close behind." Once they got here they mixed it up with nearly every western European nationality, plus a Cherokee or two. Irish, Welsh, Scots, German, Dutch and French, and one maiden surname that I think is probably Swedish.

As I read through the stories, I am struck by the hardship and the strength. Also by the respect and appreciation expressed by each writer for the generations before them. Our grandparents were very adaptable people. Two world wars, immigration, horse and buggy to space travel. They lived through quite remarkable times. It also underscores the importance of the grandparent relationship to children, where most of us who have posted seemed to find our largest dose of unconditional love.

Janie